Common Core and More About the Standards

The Mission Statement for the Common Core Standards is:
The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.
Our state is one of the 45 states that now have adopted these standards. The standards are not a curriculum but they do spell out what students should know and be able to do at the end of a school year. If you are interested in what these standards are, look on the extreme right side of this blog. You will see a tab labeled "Common Core App." Click on this widget and you will find out what the standards are for kindergarten through 12th grade. It is our goal to give our students the tools they will need to become successful in their lives and these common core standards are the first step in attaining that goal.

Discovering Number Worlds

Today every student received a log in name and password to SRA Number Worlds. This program's math instruction is explicit, intense, and supportive. It takes students from where they are and systematically guides them to each new level of mathematical thinking. This is a supplemental activity that can be done at home to enhance your child's math skills. We are looking forward to hearing comments on how your child is enjoying these activities. A link "Number Worlds" can also be found on the side of this blog directly under the "Reading Tip of the Day."

Literary Pumpkins: Stage One

Every year during this time, the lobby is festooned with Literary Pumpkins. Each class picks a favorite class book and they decorate a pumpkin or pumpkins to emulate the cover of the book. Throughout the years, our pumpkins have been "Piggies", "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" and the "Australian ABCs". This year our pumpkins are going to be from Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose Book . There will be one big "Mother Goose" pumpkin and various nursery rhyme characters around her, for instance (The Dish and the Spoon, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill).
Today, we had parents come in to supervise the children's painting of their pumpkins. We can't wait to see the finished products tomorrow!!

Helping with color choices.

Having a lot of fun working with the children.

Llamas, Pajamas, and Dr. Horner

On October 6, 2011, we were visited by a special visitor, Dr. Donnie Horner. He helped us celebrate the "Jumpstart - Read for the Record" campaign just as thousands of other kindergarten students from around the world were doing by reading Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. Dr. Horner is Jacksonville's Education Commissioner. Dr. Horner read Llama Llama Red Pajama like he wrote it! The children were on the edge of their seats with the way he interacted, questioned, and made connections with them and the book. It was a treat to have Dr. Horner in our class and hope he can visit again soon. As for our little llamas, they came dressed in their pajamas and some decided to stay in them all day!! That made for a very comfortable and memorable day at school!

"Llama, llama red pajama feels alone without his mamma." Dr. Horner asked the children if they knew how the llama felt and if they ever felt this way.

A group picture of the class with our guest reader.

Morning Readers

In August, kindergarten students would meet in the dining room to be picked up and brought to their classrooms. Now that the children are familiar with the school and where their classroom is, they have the opportunity to use this early morning time to read a book while they are waiting for school to begin. Starting at 8:30 a.m., students are invited to sit outside their classroom and read and discuss books until the start of the school day @ 9:00. We have a wagon of books for them to choose from at all different genres and reading levels. The patrols that are assigned to our hallway are there to ensure each child's safety, make sure each child has a book, and then collect their blue communication folder and book in a bag. When the bell rings, the students hand back to the books to the patrols and line up to come into class. We are now ready to start the day!

Three Billy Goats Gruff - A Retelling

Being able to retell a book that has been heard several times is a key indicator in a child's readiness to read. The above video is a retelling by "J" of the Norwegian folktale, "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". He confidently tells the story with his own special flare. The details that children include during a retelling serve as a determining factor into seeing if a child may be an emergent reader. From the findings of E. Sulzby, (Professor of Education at the University of Michigan and is best known for her pioneering work in emergent literacy) (1985), states that children eventually move from pointing and labeling pictures in a book, to "reading" a story through the illustrations, to telling the story using book language, and finally to reading conventionally using the text of a story. Enjoy this very well done retelling of Norwegian folktale "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." (It may have to buffer.)

Writer's Workshop - Peer Sharing

Our writing folders were jammed packed with all kinds of stories. There were stories about dog walks, visits to grandma's, pool parties, and trips to Orlando. Who knew that kindergarten children had so many "small moments" in their lives to share? On Friday, students cleaned out their folders of all the stories that have been accumulating over the past few weeks and put them into their writing portfolios. These beginning pieces are a wonderful foundation and visual reminder of a child's writing and reading progression. From drawing pictures, labeling beginning sounds, then beginning and ending sounds and finally to writing sentences are all steps in the process. Being able to read the writing back is also very important. Our writers are beginning to feel the power of words and of telling a story that comes from their every day life. The pictures show student's excitement from sharing their works with a writing partner.

We Know Where the Wild Things Are

This week the children created their own "Max" from the book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. Having an art project go along with a book makes it more meaningful for our kindergarteners. This is always a popular book from our "Star Book" collection of classics. These projects are two-fold - they have the students cutting, pasting and creating which are wonderful kindergarten skills. As they were completed, they went up on the board for all to admire.

PTA Popcorn Party

Our class was gifted a popcorn party from the CCE PTA for 100% participation from our class. Thank you parents for joining the PTA. They do so much for us. For instance, at the beginning of the year every child in the school received a school tee shirt. The PTA replaces the mulch in our playgrounds, buys books for our classrooms, and sponsors numerous other activities and events. All we know is that the Mall-ard class is 100% happy that we have such great parents who joined our PTA. And, as you can see, the children really enjoyed their popcorn!

Book in a Bag - Daily Routine

This week we started kindergarten homework. A major part of the homework is reading a book a night and logging it in their Book Log. Every day the children will have the chance to pick a book from their personal book bins that he/she wants to take home that night. They take the one they already read out and exchange it for a new one to take home. It could be a leveled book or "Star Book." A Star Book is a book that has been read aloud several times in the classroom. These may include The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Caps for Sale, Where the Wild Things Are, and miscellaneous fairy tales. They can picture walk through these books and orally retell the story as they are paging through it. The students are very excited to bring home the books they read in school. It is also a great way for families to share the reading together.

Environmental Print Is All Around Us

Environmental print is the print that is all around us. We find it on road signs (STOP), stores (Publix), cereal boxes (Lucky Charms), and snacks (Chips Ahoy). These are often the first words that children recognize and can read without realizing it: McDonalds, Target, Burger King, and Chick-fil-A. Everyday in class, we are celebrating these words. The "print" that the students brought in is changed out everyday on the chart. By changing the logo, wrapper or sign on our "I Can Read" sentence strip holder, they are adding to their lists of words they can read. By reading this chart, students are not only becoming reacquainted with the environmental print but also the sight words "I", "can" and "read". This is such a fun activity for the class and they surprise themselves when they can "read" these words with confidence.

Kindergarten Open House

Last night was Open House for Kindergarten. We thought it would be a good idea for parents to see the day in pictures. We created a slide show of "The Day in the Life of a Kindergartener". The day starts out with Calendar Math. We talk about the name of the day, the date, abd how many days until a certain birthday or event. Each day is counted and put on a counting strip in groups of ten. The day is also marked by a straw and bundled in groups of ten as time progresses. Next is the "Good Morning Song" followed by the "Class Promise". The "Morning Message" is printed on the board each day. This is where we find out the highlights of our day and what is planned. The children find letters and letter sounds, sight words, and fill in missing letters. Writer's Workshop, Reader's Workshop, Math and Science round out the day. A few days a week they go to P.E., Music, Art and/or the Library. We also have Developmental Centers where children have the opportunity to work on puzzles, Play-doh, blocks and Legos. The thirty-six students we have grown so much in the eighteen days we have been in school and we are enjoying every minute watching them learn and grow.

Humpty Dumpty Sits On Our Wall

An important part of the first nine weeks of Kindergarten is our Nursery Rhyme unit.
When children hear and repeat these rhymes, they are becoming aware of identifying and manipulating sounds in language (phonemic awareness). Research in the past decade has shown that phonemic awareness is a predictor of success in learning to read. Once children have some degree of phonemic awareness and letter knowledge they can begin to decode the letter/sound correspondences that make up our written language. Nursery rhymes provide opportunities to hear rhyme, blend and substitute sounds.
In these pictures, students drew, cut out, water colored and decorated their own Humpty Dumpty's. Now they are sitting up on our wall...we hope they don't have a great fall too soon!

Reader's Workshop - Independent Reading

Each day we have Reader's Workshop. This hour long workshop is divided into several parts. First is a mini lesson. This is a ten to fifteen minute block of instructional time that teaches a specific reading skill or strategy. The students go back and practice what was learned and then come back to share their discoveries such as what they learned, wondered or noticed. This week we practiced "Independent Reading". This requires children to "read" books from their book bin for ten minutes. "Star Books" which students have heard several times and can "read" by themselves are in their bins. For now the Star Books are "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" and "Caps for Sale". These books will expand to "Where the Wild Things Are", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Harry the Dirty Dog", and "Corduroy". Also in their boxes are their nursery rhyme poem folders, favorite books from home, and Level A beginning readers. This ten minute block of time will be lengthened as stamina increases.
It is important to note that research supports the fact that during primary and elementary grades, even a small amount of independent reading helps increase students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary growth, spelling facility, understanding of grammar, and knowledge of the world. (Bernice E. Cullinan, New York University). So you can see why giving students this independent reading time is very important.

Homework - Beginning Sounds

The next step after kindergarten students begin recognizing specific letters of the alphabet, is working on beginning sounds. Learning the beginning sounds of letters is one of the first steps in learning to read. This week's homework assignment was for children to look around their house for small objects that begin with the same sound as their name. A paper bag was provided for the students to put these objects in. Today we started to share the bags that have come in so far and tomorrow we will finish. In this picture we have a car, keys, crown, comb, crayon, colored pencil, cards, cookies, a cat, and keys. Do you know what sound this kindergarten student's name starts with? :)

Literacy Stations in Reader's Workshop

After ten minutes of independent reading, we open what is called "Literacy Stations". During this time, children have the opportunity to explore the books, charts and writing all around them. The stations that are now open are "Read the Room" where students use pointers and point to the words. "Write the Room" includes writing whatever they see on clipboards. This includes student's names, the alphabet, and color words. "Magnetic Letters" are used on cookie sheets for name practice. "Star Names" are cut up names (in envelopes) and students put the name in the correct order. "Big Books" are used for reading and pointing and ABC puzzles are a wonderful letter reinforcement activity. The children look forward to this time to explore the classroom and learn so much doing these hands-on activities. We will be introducing more Literacy Stations as the weeks progress to reinforce and challenge new learning.

Caps for Sale - A Retelling

All it takes is a couple of sentence strips, a tree drawn on the board, a peddler, and some monkeys to retell one of our favorite books "Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina. After reading the book a few times, students had the chance to make the book come alive in Reader's Theater. Our peddler placed the caps very carefully on top of his head and yelled, "Caps, caps for sale...50 cents a cap!" After re-enacting the book, children now feel comfortable "reading" it by paging through and telling the story. This is a very important step in the reading progression and a precursor to actual reading.

Writing Samples Month-by-Month

Our kindergarten students are getting accustomed to the daily rituals and routines of the day. There is always morning work at their seats. This varies from day to day. It could be letter, number or name practice, an art project, or other hands-on activities (such as making the "Three Billy Goats" stick puppets) that we completed on Monday. There are always books in the middle of every table. When the children are finished their task, they may "read" until the papers are collected.
Another activity that the students complete is a monthly writing sample. At the end of each month, students are invited to draw and write about anything. For this first writing sample, it is very interesting to see how comfortable each child is in his/her writing experience. Some will draw a picture, some will start to label beginning sounds, and some will be able to write a few words. Below is a sampling of the August writing. At the end of each month, another sample will be taken. It is amazing to see the amount of growth that can take place in one month.

Here we have a drawing.

This is the start of labeling.

Here we have color words and words that she is confident in knowing how to spell (yellow sun, me, black, grass).

Ten Black Dots Marks the End of Week One

It is hard to believe but the first week of Kindergarten is over. Looking back, we have been very busy - the way Kindergarten should be. We learned new songs, played new games, danced, read books, painted with watercolors, played outside, worked on puzzles, drew pictures, experienced an assembly with Omega-man, had a fire drill, made a class promise, and so much more. No wonder everyone slept so well this week!!
Today in Math, we read "Ten Black Dots" by Donald Crews. This is a counting book where children notice the circle shape in the world around them. Students were invited to use their imaginations and use dot stickers to create their own dot picture. Afterward, they each shared their creation with the class.

Oh, one of the best things about today was that it was fun Friday! Below is an incredible treat that was shared with the class today.

Ten Apples Up On Top

One of our favorite books to read during the first week of school is Dr. Seuss' "Ten Apples Up On Top." In addition to hearing rhyming words, counting is integrated into this wonderful book about an apple-balancing competition between a dog, a tiger, and a lion. Today, the children were invited to draw themselves and put any number from one to ten apples on top of their heads. We had some unbelievable balancing acts going on with the apples! In addition, we had a lot of laughs when we modeled the activity by balancing apples on top of our heads :)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Day

Today we celebrated the third day of kindergarten with Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault's rhythmic chant Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This read-aloud is always a class favorite. The alphabet comes to life as the letters travel up the coconut tree and back down again. Students were read the big book and then created their own coconut trees with the letters from their name traveling up the tree.

Students also had time to explore pattern blocks. These blocks come in various shapes including hexagons, trapezoids, and triangles. They eventually discover how the shapes fit into each other and what shapes can make other shapes. Discovery and exploration is a big part of kindergarten and giving the children this time to talk about their findings with each other is very important.
Other activities today included singing, dancing, drawing, and more read-alouds. Today was a wonderful Chicka Chicka Day :)

Settling in on day two - The Class Promise

It is amazing to see the transformation in children even after one day in school. They went directly to their cubbies to drop off their lunches and backpacks and then to their seats. Each child was given a dotted sheet with his/her name on it for practice. When finished, they were encouraged to "read" a book in the book bin placed at each table.
Our focus today was determining what our "class promise" should be. We read books on friendship, following rules, and having respect for one another. Then we asked, "What do you think are some good ideas to help the class run smoothly?" We had responses such as being nice to each other, not to hit or be mean, listen to the teacher and waiting your turn. These wonderful responses were turned into 1) being a first-time listener; 2) being kind to others; 3) being ready to learn: and 4) having self-control (which was a direct student response). We all agreed that these were great rules to abide by. Then each child was invited to draw his/her face and it was attached to the newly created "Class Promise". We will recite this promise every morning to help us remember to be good school citizens.

Incredible First Day of Kindergarten

It was an "Incredible" first day of kindergarten. We started the day with two of our favorite books. "LLama, Llama Misses Mama" by Anna Dewdney and the classic "Corduroy" by Don Freeman. After "Llama, Llama" each child had the opportunity to hold the stuffed animal llama and we played "Hickity, Pickity." This is where we chant, "Hickity, Pickity bumble bee, won't you say your name for me?" Then the child says his/her name and we clap out the syllables and then whisper his/her name. Then the llama was passed to the next person and that person was introduced. We stretched with "The Freeze Dance" and then we noticed that Corduroy had lost his button. We read the book and then went searching the school looking for his lost button. We went to the Art room, Media Center, and playground which is where we finally found it!! In this way, the students received a mini tour of the school and we were so glad to find that button!!

After lunch, we decorated our very own super hero capes and couldn't wait to put them on. There was so much more in store for our first day kindergarteners. A special assembly was prepared to "WOW" the students.

"Omega Man" put on a show for the children where he bent iron, ripped a telephone book in half, and lifted two children on a bar. He told them they can be whatever they wanted and not to let anyone keep them from their dreams. He spoke of bullies and how we have the super power to be dream-makers and stay away from those dream-breakers.

All of our dream-makers will be back tomorrow with their incredible super powers to enjoy the second day of kindergarten. "Oh the places we will go..."

New School Theme: Empowering the Future

We are so excited with our new theme "Empowering the Future"! Our Kindergarten students will be "The Incredible Kindergarten Class" and we will be discovering lots of superhero strengths among each individual student. We can not wait to get started!

Chets Creek Elementary – Empowering the Future! from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Goodbye Hog Heaven - Returning to Kindergarten

It was the last day of school and you would think a happy day but not for our Hog Heaven students. The realization of moving on to a new grade...being big second graders was a bit much. As the students were in the hall saying goodbye to the fifth graders, they were overcome with emotion as they too are moving on. We are confident that they will love the rest of their years at Chets Creek and visit us often. The "Hog Heaven" banner is coming down and we are getting ready for a new group of Kindergarten students in a few weeks. We will be known as "The Mall-ard's Incredible Kindergarten" utilizing our new "Superheros" theme. Thank you so much parents and friends of Hog Heaven. The joy we shared with your children is priceless. And now, we can't wait to greet our new batch of incredible students!!

Work Over Time Bulletin Board - From K to First

The last bulletin board for the year is called the "Work Over Time" bulletin board. Because we have looped these students from Kindergarten to First Grade, we have kept writing samples from each child. The title "Turning the Page to a New Chapter" is appropriate in that these children are now moving from "The Mall-ards Hog Heaven" to the second grade. Included on this board is a monthly writing sample from kindergarten and then varying genre samples throughout their first grade year. These samples represent the excellent gains in confidence and ability to write in multiple genres. Going on to second grade, the students are equipped with the tools necessary to build on their solid foundation. Congrats to R & H for their representative samples for this board and we will be looking for their writing on future bulletin boards in the years to come.

End of the Year with Our Dads "Dads & Dogs"

At the end of first grade, we have a celebration called "Dads & Dogs". Our dads are invited into the classroom for a slide show and song and then we have a BBQ lunch with hot dogs (not family dogs)! It is a real treat for the dads to come in an be the focus of our celebration. They are the unsung heroes of our student's learning success and it is our pleasure to give them the attention they deserve. The children made up their own acrostic poem using the letters FATHER to think of words that represent what their father means to them. After the slide show, we went over to the Wilkenings (who live next door to the school) and had a BBQ hot dogs with all the trimmings supplied by the moms. It was a great day for some wonderful dads, uncles, grandpas and other family reps that made this so memorable for their kids!
Thanks to Romy, Chip, Melanie and all who have helped us make "Dads and Dogs" a special day.